Sunday 23 November 2014

Didn't we have a lovely time at the Harrogate annual retreat :)

Yoooo Hooooo its me again .... yes another post soo soon ...lol I have just got back a few hours ago from the annual Knitting and Stitching show held at Harrogate (UK) and boy do I need some new feet ..lol, any hooo pull up a chair grab your brew ... there may be some cookies left in the tin ...and enjoy the post :)
Thursday dawned bright and early ... well more early than bright but hey at least it wasn't snowing ...I packed the mouse mobile and tootled off to go and pick up Roz and Chris my companions for the journey as they were just going for the day I said come with me and save yourselves from setting off earlier and two trains to get there ... well I had fun trying to find Roz as I am not sure if the sat nav had a sense of humor or that I put it in wrong ! but find her I did, after a wee phone call and directions I picked her up and we headed on our way to Chris's and then onto Harrogate via the fog on route .... we actually made good time and I dropped them off near to the venue before I tootled off to find our house for the next few days (mine , Ally's , Sandra's and Maureen). I managed to park outside the house doing a parallel park for the first time in years and it wasn't a bad attempt either heheheheh...
I popped my stuff in and then tootled down to meet Ally and pass her the keys so that she could get in and wait for Sandra before coming down to the show later ...in the mean time I bobbed into the show and found Chris and Roz  and Kate and also Sally   and her DH ... Sally was truly impressed with the show and was as giddy as a kid in a sweet shop ..lol I arranged for her to come back to the house later on that night for a cuppa and a natter too so that she could show her goodies and I could do the same .....before we parted ways to carry on shopping ... then while I was talking to another Kate ....Kate  from Sparklies .... my phone rang and Gill was right behind me ... Gill is also Sally's friend and had spotted me and wanted to make sure it was me ...lol so we passed a pleasant few minutes chatting before we parted ways too and I made my way from Sparklies after buying a couple of pieces as you do to Jane Greenoff's stall to purchase my major thing on my list .... this piece which I will show you later in the photos was one I wanted last year but hummmed and ahhhh'd as it is rather on the expensive side but as I said to my friends I still want it after all this time ... I am going to get it ... and I did ... Bill kindly held onto it until the end of the night when it was time for me to go home :) I found a few other bits and my bag at the end of the night was a wee bit full heheheh .... 
We decided that we weren't cooking that night when we got back to our wee house and called for a Chinese which was rather scrummy and we had just finished when Sally and her DH called round for the cuppa ... sooo we had a lovely few hours chatting and sipping tea and drooling over purchases's we had made that day :)
Friday dawned rather wet but that didn't dampen our spirits and we  tootled back down to the show ....I ended up helping Trudy Ann one of the lovely exhibitors at the show as the day before she had had some stuff taken from her stall and it got rather busy with customers while I was browsing sooo I did my good deed for the week and served a few for her :) 
Friday tea time we had invited Sheila(one of friendly stitcher members who was there too ) as well as Kate from Sparklies to tea and we had a wonderful night .... we served Spaghetti bologna and Eton Mess our way ..lol .... when they had gone on their merry way back to their pads for the week we got out some stitching and stitched into the early hours of the morning ... in fact I finished a wee ornament ... yes you read that right I stitched and finished something heheheh .....I am surprised that we actually got any done as we were laughing all night and I can't remember what about ...lol 
Saturday was a bit of the show and a bit of the town ... we managed to visit Duton's for Buttons, Samuel Taylors and the Remnant House as well as take some photos of the lights decorating the trees around Harrogate .... and we even stitched Saturday night too ...I was on a roll .....
Today only Sandra and I went back into the show as Maureen had an early train to catch and Ally an early bus .... we tootled round the show and as it wasn't as packed managed to get to look at all the stalls as well as go down into the Hall's underneath and see the costumes on display .....soon it was time for us to part too and go on our merry ways ....and I can safely say that this year was pretty good ...lol and looking forward to next years now and I had better start saving my pennies up :)
I have taken piccies of my stash but I can't show you all of it as some of it is for prezzies for peeps ...but I hope you like what I can show you :) I am looking forward to using the charts/ fabric and trims and know what I am going to use them with etc etc etc etc .... 
ok the kettle has just boiled again sooo tea, coffee ???
International halls Harrogate


Eaton Mess our way

Maureen , Kate, Ally, Sandra and Sheila :)

stitchy progress

Walk down to the show 

love this :)

Maureen photo bombing 

Hall M of the show the only one I could get a photo in :)

view over looking Harrogate from the town centre


taking the lights 



bit of stash

and a bit more

and some more

my big purchase :) 

seee I did stitch :)

Kate from Sparklies stall :)

students work in Hall E

Jane Greenoff and Sue Hawkins having a rare five mins :)
Sew there you have it .... my adventures of Harrogate Stitching show again over for another year ... Master Bentley is bopping me to get him some more food ... he is rather pleased for me to be back ....
hoping to get more stitching done now my mojo has come back from its walk .....so that I can show you progress photos next time :)
take care one and all and happy stitching :) till next time :) love mouse xxxxxx

Sunday 16 November 2014

My MOJO went for a walk ......

Hi every one ... yes its me... that little mouse that has been silent for a wee while ....well pull up a chair and grab a brew and I shall tell you all about what has been going on around the mouse house ,...
When I squeaked to you all last I had done a wee gift for some one and not long after I went to a quilting class and gave the gift to Stuart Hillard who was over the moon with it ...I made him a special stitchers tray which I cross stitched too and made a wee scissor fob with his initials on sooo that he never lost his scissors :)
The quilt class was fab and I learnt loads of new tricks and Stuart was impressed with my perfect seams ...lol not sure if they all were as when I measured the finished square it was slightly off ... now that could be it wasn't pressed at that particular time .. still isn't as, as the title says my mojo went for a walk and has only just come back this last week ....
I have been popping into a few blogs and saying helloo here and there but other than that I have done nothing stitching wise .....other than a bit of back stitching and doing a bit more on my crochet blanket.... I have been soooo tired and came down with a chest infection and I ain't 100% even now .... ho hum ... but I have to be brave as on Thursday its the annual stitching retreat to Harrogate and I am meeting up with fellow stitchers as well as staying there till Sunday :) and I am not missing it for the world ......
Master Bentley celebrated his third birthday on Bonfire night and got lots of new toys and yummies too ... it has flown really fast since we brought him home .... We went to Kaboom at Castle Howard and had a fab time there and I managed to get some fab photos of the fireworks ( Master B didn't come with us btw .... )
The craft room is a little bit nearer to getting finished ... I am waiting now for our joiner to fit me in to finish the wall off where the water has been coming in and to sort out the Belfast sink as it still has the lead pipe to it ...and fix it onto the work top....then I can start to get the walls done and painted and rearrange the furniture and start to move in :) mind you I think I am going to have to get some peeps into help me do that bit too ... any helpers to help me with my stash ???
Work wise there has been lots and lots to do .... with me moving to to my new office and finding thinks haven't been done as they should have and to cap it all today I found out that some thieving barstools have broken into my nice office ... kicked the door in and trashed my room and took the petty cash tin !!!! luckily I had taken the banking home with me otherwise they would have got more :( .. they had also gone and took other stuff from the other offices in the building .... I hope that karma gets them and bites them in the rear !!!!
Any hooo onto nicer things ....and another brew ....
I received my exchange piece from Libbie and I love it :) sooo I can show you what she made me .... and see if you can spot me on there ....
I have been going through my stash as well to find my mojo but it wasn't there but I did have a wee think while doing sooo and  wondered if any one would be interested in charts that I have stitched ... all gently used and will I post anywhere,  all I would ask is to have the postage costs covered ... let me know what you think :)
well I had better go and search for the photos to show you ......oooo I forgot that I had actually put some stitches into the "Casting a Spell " by Blackbird Designs .... most likely be finished for next years Halloween now ...lol and I did this last week stitch on my RR piece with the Friendly Sitchers RR group ....it is now on its merry way to the next person to stitch on it :)
Hellooo lovely to see you all here :)

Stuart with his gift

Me and Stuart with two of my squares for my quilt

close up of the gift

and the the other side of the fob ...did add some scissors  :)

From Libbie 

can you spot me 

here I am ....

the backing fabric :)


getting there ... will be done for next year:)

fireworks from Kaboom



cheeky chappies having a bath above my stitching room now :)

seee almost finish finished this :)

birthday boy and one of his new toys :)

my round robin piece which is now on its travels :)

Sooo there you have it ... hopefully by the time I get back from Harrogate I will be refreshed and fired up ready to stitch more and have lots of photos to show you of the show and hopefully some stitchy goodies ....and to be inspired :)
sooo until next time take care and happy stitching every one :) love mouse xxxxxx